Press feeders



Dec. 30, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 10, 1957 Dec. 30, 1958 L. PERAS 2,866,566

PRESS FEEDERS Filed Dec. 10, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 PRESS FEEDERS Lucien Pras, Billancourt, France, assignor to Regie Nationale des Usines Renault, Billancourt, France, a French works under control and authority of French Government Application December 10, 1957, Serial No. 701,773

Claims priority, application France January 25, 1957 2 Claims. (Cl. 21416.6)

This invention relates to presses and more particularly to those of the type utilized for vulcanising rubber articles, especially rubber mats; these presses generally comprise several intervals, each adapted to receive a mould; these moulds are loaded separately and then pressed simultaneously during the vulcanisation of the rubber mixture therein.

As a rule the different moulds (which are generally from 7 to in number) are loaded separately by hand by the operators of the machines, and secured on the press follower or extracted from the press before loading.

However, this procedure is characterized by various drawbacks.

Firstly, due to the rapidity of operation necessitated by the reasons set forth hereafter, the aforesaid procedure requires the presence of a loading team effecting an additional painful work on account of the considerable heat released by the moulds. Moreover, this desirable rapidity of operation is such that even trained operators are not always successful in carrying out the work at a sufiicient speed, especially when the number of moulds is relatively high. In fact, as the latter are re-loaded immediately after their stripping, that is, when their temperature is still very high, it happens that during the time interval elapsing between the introduction of the last rubber mat or sheet and the introduction of the first one, the latter is partially vulcanised without having been compressed. Under these conditions, different vulcanising times and a non-uniform quality of the manufactured articles are the obvious consequences.

Now it is the object of this invention to provide an apparatus adapted to load in a few seconds and simultaneously all the moulds secured on the press follower or plate. This invention consists broadly in providing a press feeder having its movements controlled in adequate time relationship with the press and comprising servo-controlled guided plates having the same relative spacing as the apertures between the moulds and the press followers, said plates being loaded by hand at the end of the apparatus which is remotest from the press during the time period in which a previously introduced batch of blanks are vulcanised in the press, these plates being subsequently brought to a waiting station at the opposite end and in overhanging relationship to their guides before being introduced into the press by a combined movement of the apparatus. In addition, at the guide ends adapted to engage the underside of the press, servo-members are provided for the purpose of retaining the rubber blanks on the moulds and permitting their release when the movable plates are retracted, whereafter the apparatus is brought back to its initial loading position by effecting a combined movement during which the guides are disengaged from the press.

With this arrangement it is possible not only to reduce considerably the duration of the manufacturing cycle but also and consequently to increase proportionately the eificiency of the presses and moulds. To cite an ex- States Patent ice ample, with a press feeder according to this invention the production of a press with hand-loaded moulds was multiplied by four, and the output of a mat-forming mould was doubled.

This substantial increase in the output of presses and moulds loaded by the improved feeder of this invention is due to:

(a) the considerable loading speed (a few seconds for ten moulds);

(b) the use of adequately accelerated rubber mixtures whereby the vulcanisation time can be reduced to a minimum. In fact, with this feeder the risks of pre-vulcanisation are definitely avoided;

(c) as the moulds are loaded automatically, it becomes possible to reduce the relative spacing between the press followers and consequently to practically double the number of intervals in relation to a hand-loaded press.

Moreover, with the press-loading method of this invention the labour times can be reduced and the press operators work under considerably better conditions, especially in that they are less exposed to heat radiation.

In order to afiord a clearer understanding of the present invention and of the manner in which the same may be carried out in the practice, reference will now be made to the attached drawings illustrating diagrammatically by way of example a typical embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the apparatus which is taken at right angles to its axis of translation;

Figure 2 is a plane view from above of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a detail view showing the mounting of the movable-plate guide rails and -of the cylinders for actuating these plates, the section being taken upon the line IH-III of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a detail view showing one portion of the movable-plate guide rails, the section being taken upon the line IVlV of Fig. 2;

Figure 5 is a similar view showing another portion of the movable-plate guide rails, with a section taken upon the line VV of Fig. 2, and

Figure 6 is a detail view showing the members provided for retaining the rubber blanks on the moulds, the section being taken upon the line VI-VI of Fig. 2.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the press feeder according to this invention comprises a metal frame structure 1 consisting mainly of two rigid vertical frames 2, 3 disposed side by side and adequately braced to each other. The purpose of these frames 2, 3 is to support, by means of vertically adjustable brackets or straps 4, guide rails 5 engaged by movable plates 6, the movable plate assembly consisting in turn of suitably spaced plates registering with the corresponding levels of the apertures provided between the moulds 7 and followers 8 of the press when the latter is in its opened or waiting position, that is, before loading, as illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 1.

The complete apparatus is displaceable bodily in relation to the press, and the metal frame structure 1 constitutes to this end a carriage having at its lower portion a plurality of rollers 9 rolling on rails 10 secured on the ground. The movements of the press feeder is controlled by means of an electromotor 11 solid with the carriage 1 and adapted to drive through a suitable reducing gear 12 and a chain drive 13 the shaft 14 on which are wedged a pair of toothed wheels 15 meshing with racks 16 solid with the rails 10.

through the medium of four horizontal rollers 17 and four vertical rollers 18. The displacement of each plate 6 is controlled with the assistance of a pneumatic, double-acting cylinder 19 the body of which is clamped and supported by collars 20 secured along one of the rails (seeFig. 3), the movable member being secured on a lug 21 solid with the plate (see Fig. 4). Thus, these plates may travel from the rear portion of the apparatus where the rubber blanks are introduced therein, to the front portion of the apparatus which consists of the overhanging portions of the rails 5 which project from the frames 2 and 3 and are adapted to be introduced in the intervals formed between the moulds and the press follower during the loading period.

In order to permit the freeing of the blanks carried by the plates 6 during the press loading time with the above-defined front portion of the apparatus extending in the press intervals, these plates 6 are formed at their front ends with notches or cut-out portions 22 through which blank-retaining members bear on each blank on the rear end of the mould 7 of the press (see Fig. 6). In the embodiment illustrated these blank-retaining members consist of pneumatically-actuated fingers 23 provided with rubber pads 24 and supported by a cross-member 25 consisting of paired angle sections secured at the end of each set of rails 5, as shown.

The press feeder according to this invention and to the embodiment specifically described hereabove is operated as follows. When the apparatus is in its waiting position in front of the press with the movable plates in their retracted or rearmost'position in the frames 2,

3, the operator firstly loads the'se plates by beginning with the top plate and suitably placing the blanks the position of which on the plates may be determined in any adequate manner, provided that they cover the notches 22. The operator may successively push all the plates towards the front of the apparatus as they are loaded and when all the plates are filled he actuates adequate valve means (not shown) allowing compressed air'to fiow into the cylinders 19 so that all the movable plates 6 will be placed in the same horizontal position on the front, overhanging portion of the apparatus, the front portions of the blanks which cover the corresponding notches 22 underlying the fingers 23.

When the vulcanisation and shaping of the preceding series of blanks are completed, the press is opened and the treated articles extracted therefrom. After this step, the operator starts the electromotor 11 to cause the apparatus to move bodily towards the press, the travel of the assembly being so determined that the front ends of the rails 5 which are thus inserted between themoulds 7 and press plates or followers 8 will be stopped in the position illustrated in Fig. 6.

When the apparatus has completed its travel, the operator actuates the pneumatically-controlled fingers 23 so that their pads 24 press the leading end or edge 26 of the blanks against the mould surface 7 (see Fig. 6). Then, the movable plates 6 are retracted by introducing compressed air into all the cylinders 19, thus leaving simultaneously the blanks on the moulds. After having raised the fingers 23 the operator causes the complete feeder to move back to its loading position by actuating the electromotor 11 in the reverse direction, so that the assembly will resume its initial position in which fresh blanks are loaded; meanwhile, the press is reclosed to treat the blanks carried by the moulds.

Of course, the form of embodiment described hereinabove and shown in the accompanying drawings is given by way of example only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this invention as many modifications and alterations may be brought thereto without departing from the basic principles thereof as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A press feeder adapted to feed blanks to be vulcanised to a press of the multi-stage type comprising alternate molds and followers, particularly for molding rubber mats, said apparatus comprising supporting rails secured on the floor, a pair of spaced vertical frames braced to each other to constitute a braced structure carried by said rails through the medium of rollers, rack extending along and securedto said ground rails, an electromotor carried by said frame structure, a reducing gear, a transmission and a toothed wheel between said electromotor and said rack for permitting the movement of said frame structure on said rails toward and away from said press, brackets disposed on said vertical frames and carrying at the relative spacing of the press followers a corresponding number of pairs of rails parallel to said ground rails, one portion of said last-mentioned rails projecting in overhanging relationship from the from frame of said frame structure towards said press, each pair of rails supporting a movable plate provided with rollers engaging said rails and controlled by a pneumatic cylinder mounted at the rear of one rail of the corresponding pair, a cross-member interconnecting the front ends of said plate-supporting rails and carrying pneumatic means adapted to actuate depending fingers extending somewhat through notches formed in the front edge of each plate, whereby upon actuation of said pneumatic cylinders said movable plates are adapted to move on said rails toward and away from the intervals between adjacent followers and molds of said press during the inoperative periods thereof for depositing on said molds fresh blanks loaded beforehand on said plates when said movable plates were in their rearmost position.

2. A press feeder as set forth in claim 1, wherein said movable-plate carrying rails consists of parallel U-shaped section members, the side members of said members being co-planar and engaged by horizontal and vertical rollers mounted on the relevant movable plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,728,468 Siempelkamp Dec. 27, 1955 

